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Topic: NEW HIVE, FRAME MANAGEMENT? (Read 4521 times)

OK SO I AM NEW TO THIS AND THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT I HAVE CHECK THE HIVE. - LOOKS GREAT- I WENT IN AND ALL IS WELL. MY QUESTION IS ON FRAME MANAGEMENT. I WENT IN AND ALL THE BEES WERE IN THE CENTER THREE FRAMES, SO I PULLED AN OUTER FRAME AND PLACED IT IN THE MIDDLE, BASICLY SITICKING A UNDELOPED FRAME IN THE MIDDEL OF 3 DEVOLPED AND WORKING FRAMES. I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WILL WORK FORM THE CENTER OUT, BUT SHOULD I HAVE DOEN THIS? I KNOW IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL, BUT WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?

The usual practice is to wait till 6 or 7 frames has been started by the bees before you move one in to get them to start on it. Just 3 frame is a wee bit early. Patience is a great asset in beekeeping.

I hope you didn't take the frame from the middle and but it on the outside.

Basically you split the brood area by putting a foundation wall between them. This could be a problem if there is not enough bees to keep the brood warm. If you took the middle frame and put it on the outside, you made that even worse by splitting your brood in 3.

You are best to let the bees keep the brood chamber in tacked and they will expand it as they grow.

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"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison

You should be OK. Just keep an eye out for them overdrawing the comb on either side of the new frame. If it was earlier in the season, you could have caused some of the brood to be chilled and killed by splitting it.

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"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison